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Rethink your Travel Options

A new project to get people to think less about using their cars, and more about walking or using a cycle has been launched by Central Bedfordshire Councillors who met in Grove Theatre last week for a presentation.

Councillor Angela Barker, the chairman of the Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “If it isn’t that far, why not walk? It’s free, easy and you can see more of our lovely area.”

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Central Bedfordshire Council is to hold a series of public drop-in events to share early plans for a proposed M1-A6 Link Road. The new strategic link road would run from the A6 Barton Road to junction 11a of the M1 motorway, joining up to the A5-M1 Link Road, to provide a strategically important east-west link.

The proposed new road would be 2.75 miles (4.4km) long and could create part of a northern bypass for Luton. The preferred layout would have a 50mph speed limit and be a mixture of single and dual carriageway, with junctions to a new Rail Freight Interchange at Sundon and proposed new housing development.

The existing A6 road has approximately 26,000 vehicles on it each day. A new link road would help to relieve current congestion and improve safety in Luton, as well as ease traffic on the local village roads used as rat-runs, such as Lower Sundon, Upper Sundon and Streatley. The plans also suggest a number of upgraded footpaths, cycleways and bridleways in the area.

Central Bedfordshire Council has gained an injunction banning eleven named individuals from setting up unauthorised encampments anywhere in Central Bedfordshire over the next two years.

2017 was a really difficult summer in Central Bedfordshire, where these individuals and their families moved from site to site across the authority area, causing disruption such as anti-social behaviour and large clean-ups which impacted on local communities.

The injunction bans 11 named defendants entering CBC authority area to camp. And 15 identified areas are for any persons deciding to camp there. This is indefinite for those areas, whereas the named persons part lasts two years.

Over the last year, Central Bedfordshire Council has undertaken a huge amount of work to secure council-owned land, including installing height barriers, bunding, ditches and strengthening gates.

The council has also been advising private landowners on suitable measures to take on their land. Additionally, they have been …

A police unit were in Tithe Farm Road this afternoon looking for further clues following an incident last night.

At about 8.30pm two rival groups are thought to have had an encounter during which time a gun may have been fired. Police attended the scene last night, and cordoned off the area for about an hour.

Neighbours to the shop at the junction with Leaf Road this afternoon said they heard noises "like a car back-firing", and another said "we heard several shots".

A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Police later said: “We were called to reports of shots being fired in Tithe Farm Road. “Officers attended and found an altercation had taken place between a group of men, who attempted to steal the watch and phone of another man. “An investigation into the incident has so far found no evidence of shots being fired. “The victim of the attempted robbery was not shot at but was assaulted during the altercation and sustained minor injuries.”

A temporary road closure of Sundon Road at Chalton is due to take place in the next couple of weeks that will affect traffic journeys between Houghton Regis and Lower Sundon. Diversions will be via Sundon, Marsh Farm, and Streatley.

Road:Sundon Road, Sundon

Application from: Silv Chelaru – 0300 300 4000

Reason:Carriageway resurfacing

Length affected:From jct with Luton Rd to Manor Road 5m past Church Rd junctionPlease note there will be no access from Church Rd

Date:The closure was orginally due to take place from Thursday 18th January 2018 to Friday 19th January 2018 between the hours of 0900-1500.Updated dates: This road closure will now take place from Thursday 31st May to Wednesday 13th June 2018 between the hours of 0900-1500.

More Recent Stories

By Alan Winter updated 27 May
An irate resident has contacted Houghton Regis News Desk to vent their frustrations about visitors to the Chalk Pit clogging up their unadopted roads.

The resident, who did not want to be named, wrote, “As a resident on Fieldstone, we’re after some help. The quarry has been advertised on social media so it now has visitors from a wide area. They are blocking our residential roads, leaving rubbish and glass everywhere in the quarry. Having BBQs, drinking and meeting for social gatherings. They are drinking and dancing in the streets gone 11pm. There needs to be parking and the quarry managed before all the recent hard work is undone. We want peace back.

“This parking and quarry issue has been going on for the last few weeks after advertising has appeared on social media. We heard someone say they had driven from Milton Keynes, and a neighbour has stated that 5 people he knows from Hemel Hempstead have attended. Just this morning, a friend from work saw it …

As part of the already approved outline development plans for the Lower Thorn area of Houghton Regis, detailed planning applications are now being submitted for a local centre. A decision for these applications is hoped for by mid-August 2020.

In all, three planning applications will be submitted to develop a local integrated centre on behalf of HDD Houghton Regis Retail Limited. Two have been submitted, the third, for a care home, is pending.

1. 66 Bed Care Home
A 66-bed care home and its associated car park, means of access and landscaping. Split over 3 floors. If permission were granted, the applicants would hope to welcome residents approximately 12 months later.
Full details of this application can be found at the CBC planning portal and search for CB/20/01538/FULL or jump directly to the details at this link.

Burglary gang sentencedGang targeted vehicles during burglaries.Committed 19 offences across three counties.Investigation led by Hertfordshire's Specialist Investigation Team.George Wadsworth from Houghton Regis is one of five men from a burglary gang that committed a series of burglary offences across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Specialist Investigation Team launched an investigation after a number of burglaries were committed between April and July 2019. In most cases the offenders forced entry into homes during the night to steal car keys and other small items. They would then steal the car. The approximate value of the property stolen was in the region of £125,000. Nineteen offences were committed in Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, Caddington, Winslow, Leighton Buzzard and Chesham. And, the offenders would commit a number of offences in the same night. Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Specialist Investigation Team, took on the investigati…

A Caddington man has been jailed for five-and-a-half-years after killing a young boy on his bike on a crossing.

Michael Raffermati, 35, of Wren Close, Caddington pleaded guilty to one count of death by dangerous driving in October 2018.

At around 2.20pm on 20 October, emergency services were called to reports of a collision. 6-year-old, Zi Singh, was crossing the road on his bike with his father at a crossing point on White Horse Vale, when Raffermati hit him with his blue Vauxhall Astra. Singh was taken to hospital, where he died a short time later due to the injuries he sustained.

Yesterday (Monday) at Luton Crown Court, Raffermati was sentenced to five-and-a-half-years for causing death by dangerous driving, five years disqualification extended by 33 months, and he will have to take an extended re-test.

Sergeant James Thorne, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit, said: “I would like to commend Zi’s family for the manner in which they have cond…

Pictures taken this weekend show the progress being made to construct a new roundabout on the B5120, Bedford Road, Houghton Regis, at the junction with Thorn Road.

Thorn Road was closed officially from 27th August 2018. The road is not due to reopen until 31 July 2020.

The work is required infrastructure to help manage anticipated traffic flows for an additional 1,850 homes being constructed as 'HRN2' at Bidwell and Thorn in Houghton Regis, Central Bedfordshire. A range of other Highway works are also to be done to help Bedford Road through this period and beyond specifically in connection with the HRN2 outline planning permission.
A number of other developments, separate to HRN2, have, and will be making further improvements to ensure there is continued safety along Bedford Road.

In this report we're focusing specifically at the works that 'HRN2' will bring to Bedford Road.
All images can be enlarged.Images credit M Murphy / Houghton Regis News Desk.Roundabout jo…